Group Activities

Once a month, on a Saturday or Sunday, we meet at one of our members’ homes. The host prepares for us to do some work tasks for the day and we spend about two hours in the morning working together.

Sometimes the host has a project such as planting trees, constructing compost bins,making raised beds, putting in a pond, coppicing, pruning or erecting a poly-tunnel, other times we are in small groups doing a variety of gardening jobs. We try to arrange jobs that are within the capabilities of all. It is always amazing to see how much we can do in two hours as a group. Much satisfaction is to be had by the host and the group as we stand back to admire the (usually) finished job.

Work time is followed by a shared lunch. We all bring along a dish to share, without prior co-ordination, and are constantly delighted at how the variety of food we bring goes so well together and makes such a delicious meal.

In the afternoon the host chairs a meeting to discuss any issues, ideas or business that are arising.The host writes up an short account of the day and it is posted in the newsletter. You can read some of these write-ups of past meetings if you wish.

We run an annual Apple Day for the public in Lampeter, but on another day in October members bring their apples together to make lots of juice at our group apple day! We then share this out equally amongst the helpers after our usual shared lunch. At our 2016 day, some 45 of us, including many children, descended onto one of our member’s smallholdings on a fantastic warm and sunny October day and pressed 20 gallons of juice.

Check out this video for some of the day’s highlights:

PICKLED!

PICKLED! is our other monthly gathering which is on a Friday evening in one of our hosts’ homes. This is a ”social” dedicated to the study of home brew (wine, beer, cider, perry, potcheen…) and food stuff such as chutneys and pickles. The emphasis is on the use of free foods and the sharing of good ideas. Mainly it’s a chance to chat, relax and meet as friends.

Solstice gatherings and holidays

Our June and December gatherings are to celebrate the solstice and the group. We eat and party, dance and celebrate. Sometimes we hold this at a member’s house and sometimes at another site which we would like to support, such as Denmark Farm conservation trust or Victoria Hall in Lampeter (see Transition Llambed).

Occasionally we arrange to go away together as a group to have a holiday/work party at a youth hostel or another permaculture site.